CES is entirely virtual this year, depriving the home audio industry of its most important annual venue for showing off its consumer-oriented wares. But the innovative technology that delivers high-resolution, multi-channel audio without any wires would have made the WiSA SoundSend stand out like a bright red rose at any show.
WiSA
You don’t need a separate remote to control the volume, but the SoundSend mobile app provides a means to fine-tune your speaker system.
If you’re not familiar with WiSA (the acronym stands for Wireless Speaker & Audio Association), read our in-depth primer at this link, or you can read our review of the Enclave CineHome Pro.
The SoundSend is a small, AC- powered puck that plugs into any smart TV with an ARC or eARC port and wirelessly transmits the TV’s audio to WiSA-certified speakers that are fitted internally with matching signal receivers and amplifiers.
The device is aimed at juicing the market for WiSA-certified high resolution wireless speakers from WiSA licensees, including Bang & Olufsen, Enclave, Klipsch, Harman, and others. Additional licensees are expected to be announced later in the first half of 2021.
It’s important to note that WiSA technology can wirelessly stream up to eight channels of uncompressed, high-resolution audio: 24-bit resolution with a 96kHz sampling rate. What’s more, the SoundSender can decode most varieties of Dolby, including Dolby Digital, Dolby Digital+, Dolby TrueHD, and Dolby Atmos. There’s no support, however, for any of the DTS surround-sound formats.
WiSA
The WiSA SoundSend can stream high-resolution multi-channel audio to compatible wireless speakers.
WiSA says its tech keeps picture and sound tightly in sync—with signal latency from the source of just 5.2 milliseconds and the sync between speaker channels within 1 microsecond—and our experience with the aforementioned Enclave system backs that up. Volume is controlled with the TV remote, but WiSA’s MyZone mobile app includes tools for speaker equalization and sweet-spot calibration.
The SoundSend hit the market in mid December at an asking price of $179, but it can also be purchased bundled with WiSA-compatible speaker systems, including with the 5.1-channel Platin Audio Monaco ($899 at Amazon).